Synopsis:
Welcome to Warzone, the new massive combat arena within Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, free for everyone.

Publisher: Activision
Reviewed on: PS4 Pro
Also available for: Xbox One, PC

Developer: Infinity Ward

Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play extension of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; we’re reviewing it on its own merits.
This is a review in progress and the score may change in our final review.

I played a lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII’s Blackout mode—the first foray into the battle royale genre for the long-running FPS champion. In fact, I played 600 games of Blackout. Disappointingly, I don’t see myself putting anywhere near that amount of time into Warzone.

Blackout was obviously inspired by PUBG at the time of development, and developer Treyarch crafted a well-polished version of the basic battle royale experience that simply looked and played better than the competition at the time. With Warzone, developer Infinity Ward has had the time to create a true Call of Duty experience through-and-through that includes more players, more map, killstreaks galore, perks, loadouts, and even a version of the 2v2 Gunfight mode from the core Modern Warfare package. If all of that sounds like a lot—it’s because it can be.

Warzone only has one queue at the moment—trios—although duos are said to be on the way and hopefully solos and quads to follow. As of writing, trios features 150 players split into 50 teams who drop out of a plane onto a huge map. It can feel like too many players at the start, but I believe upping it to 200 would achieve the hectic, fast-paced nature Infinity Ward wants, and there’s enough map space to accommodate it as long as the player base is around.

From above, a lot of the locations on the sprawling Verdansk map look very similar, especially the town sections in the central area. Each section has a lot to explore, though—even if it’s cement nearly everywhere. Buildings don’t feel or look the same (a problem Blackout had with a lot of its structures). Each building here will contain multiple entries and exits from above and below and usually house several random drops of weapons, items, cash and a crate to open.

Helicopter locations seem to be hotly contested drop points (much like in Blackout). Landing at the Dam usually means a big fight, but you’ll have an escape if you make it through the bullets.

On landing you’ll always have a pistol and armour, which means early firefights are more likely than extended looting. There’s nothing especially crucial to chase immediately: your pistol is powerful enough to down someone with a few well-placed shots, and there’s no armour stronger than your starter plates. Picking up a deployable cover or a silent-running perk isn’t likely to swing the first minutes of a match, so—unlike other battle royales—just fight if you see someone right away (unless you really need that Dragunov to hit anything).

Your armour has three plates that protect 50 HP each. You can find plates in loot boxes and around the map to refill those slots. That’s a total of 250 effective health at full HP and armour. When shooting at an enemy you’ll hear a crack and see a blue marker when you break their last plate, and a different sound plus a white marker when you down them.

Loot boxes—telegraphed by a buzzing sound—contain weapons of varying rarities, but you won’t find attachments. To get attachments, perks and killstreaks tied to the loadouts you configured in core Modern Warfare, you’ll need to buy a Loadout Drop from a Buy Station. Of course, calling one in is a huge red flag to nearby enemies.

Buy Stations also sell other tools, including killstreaks like UAVs—so you’ll need cash. You’ll find cash in crates, on bodies, lying around, and by completing contracts.

Picking up ammo and guns is streamlined: ammo auto-collects and guns can be swapped directly on the ground. You won’t touch an inventory menu unless you’re dropping ammo or cash for a teammate.

If you die you’ll head to the GULAG first as a Prisoner of Warzone. You’ll watch a match while you wait, then play a 1v1 with random mirrored gear—first pick to go down loses, just like Gunfight. Win and you get a free redeploy over your squad. Lose and your teammates can buy you back for $4500. That makes cash management important: do you dump money into a killstreak or hold it for buybacks? Note: the GULAG closes around mid-match; late deaths won’t get the free shot.

The best way to make money is by completing contracts marked on the map. Scavenger has you chaining several crates; Recon tasks you with capturing and holding a position; Bounty makes another squad your target (and vice-versa). These give you something meaningful to do in the early game while building cash for late-game buys and revives.

The second half of the game is a rush as the circle—here, a creeping poisonous gas—pushes hard. Gas hurts quickly if you get caught. Gas masks can buy you a few seconds, but you can’t stack them, so there’s no prepping for long stints outside the line.

Endgames become hectic as teams transition from tight building fights to sprints between safe zones. Campers who predict final circles set up with snipers, but grenade spam or killstreaks can flush them out (what counters killstreak spam is less clear). It’s a nice touch that the winning team gets whisked away by helicopter with a “fallen” credits roll listing the other 147 players.

Alongside battle royale, Warzone includes Plunder. In it, squads race to $1 million by looting, completing contracts and PvP. You can bank cash at deposit helipads to avoid losing it on death; respawns are constant. Right now it often devolves into a sprawling TDM, and it’s an odd fit—a huge map, fewer players, constant redeploys.

Infinity Ward has stripped its battle royale down to keep COD action at the centre: no inventory Tetris, no backpacks, no health pickups beyond plates, and multiple redeploy paths. It ramps up in the second half, but the first can feel oddly slow—especially for Apex Legends converts. The map also lacks character; even Blackout had more memorable named POIs that stood apart.

Warzone also nudges players toward lone-wolfing: the GULAG gives everyone a shot to be a hero, and with no healing items to ferry, some teammates happily roam. Solos would siphon off the Rambos, but even then there are fewer incentives to stick close; you don’t need to loot a banner or item from a body to buy someone back.

Performance-wise, I’ve had no major issues on PS4 Pro. I’ve heard base PS4 players mention texture pop-in when dropping. Launch-week servers were bumpy as expected.

Warzone is still in beta, so things may change, but right now it’s a perfectly OK addition to a crowded genre with several cool ideas—especially the GULAG—that don’t fully gel. It’s only the fast-paced shooter it wants to be in its second act, and until solos arrive, playing with randoms is like pulling teeth. I hadn’t thought about Blackout in a while, but Warzone made me miss it.

[REVIEW IN PROGRESS – SCORE MAY CHANGE]